GAMEDAY: BARRACUDA AT GULLS (3-8-17)
Mar 8, 2017
Game #52 – San Jose Barracuda (34-12-1-4) vs. San Diego Gulls (32-14-3-2)
Wednesday, March 8, 2017
7:00 PM PST, Valley View Casino Center, San Jose, Calif.
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Tonight’s Matchup: On Wednesday, the Barracuda kick off the second game of its home and home with the San Diego Gulls. San Jose is 4-2-0-1 against the Gulls in seven matchups this season but is 0-2-1 at Valley View Casino Center. Aside from San Jose who has gone 19-5-0-1 in 2017, no team in the AHL has been better over the last couple of months. SD is 19-3-2-0 since January 1. The Barracuda hold the third best road-winning percentage in the league (16-8-0-2= .654) and have won 10 of their last 11 road games. The Gulls rank seventh in the AHL and second in the Pacific, only behind San Jose, in home winning percentage (17-7-1-1= .692).
League Leader: Despite back-to-back losses, the San Jose Barracuda still sit atop the AHL with a .715 winning percentage. San Jose set a league long 14-game winning streak from January 25 to February 25 and a 15-game point streak from January to 25 to March 1, sweeping the month of February with an 11-0 record. The Barracuda
Setting Goals: San Jose is the only team in the AHL with 10 or more skaters with 10 or more goals, and their plus-51 goal differential is third best in the League.
Feed Heed: Among AHL defensemen, Barracuda d-man Tim Heed is third in the AHL in points (11+34=45), T-first in assists, fifth in power-play goals (7), T-second in game-winning goals (4) and is tied for T-17th overall in the league in points. Heed has points in nine of his last 11 games.
Ryan Rising: Among AHL defenseman, Barracuda blueliner Joakim Ryan is T-ninth among AHL defensemen in points (7+26=33), T-eighth assists, and is third in the AHL in plus/minus (+26).
Dynamic Danny: Among rookies, Barracuda All-Star forward Danny O’Regan is first in points (18+29=47), first in assists, T-6th in goals, 4th in power-play goals (6), and is ninth in points overall in the AHL. O’Regan scored the tying goal and OT winner in Sunday’s victory of San Diego.
Troy Trending: Barracuda All-Star netminder Troy Grosenick had his winning streak snapped at 12 games on Wednesday, but the fourth-year pro is first in the AHL in shutouts (7), third in goals-against average (2.03), second in save percentage (.931) and T-third in wins (22). Grosenick’s last regulation loss came in San Diego on January 20.
Last Time Out: The San Jose Barracuda scored two unanswered goals in the third period before winning in overtime, 4-3, against the San Diego Gulls on Sunday night at SAP Center. The win moved San Jose to a perfect 4-and-0 against the Gulls at SAP Center this season. Corey Tropp opened up the scoring for San Diego just 58 seconds into the first, but Barclay Goodrow (17) evened the score at 6:50. In the waning seconds of the opening 20, Shea Theodore (3) regained San Diego’s lead on a breakaway. In the second, Sam Carrick (12) made it 3-1 Gulls at 19:10 of the period. With less than three minutes left in regulation, Rourke Chartier (13) and Danny O’Regan (17) scored to tie the game and force overtime. In OT, O’Regan beat Kevin Boyle on a two-on-one to earn the ‘Cuda the stunning victory. Grosenick claimed the win after making 26 saves on 29 shots, while Boyle took the loss after giving up four goals on 29 shots.